EC urged to do biometric verification

Representatives of political parties and religious leaders in the Upper West Region have called on the Electoral Commission to reconsider its position on the issue of biometric registration and verification.

 
This is because they believe it is one major way of ensuring free, fair and transparent elections in 2012.

 
This was contained in a communiqué signed by 10 representatives of the various groups at the end of a seminar at Wa.

 
They, therefore, called on the Government to support the biometric registration process including the verification by providing all the necessary funds to the EC.

     
The seminar was organised by the Regional Peace Advisory Council in collaboration with the Regional Coordinating Council with support from the United Nations Development Programme.

    
The communiqué appealed to the Government to adequately resource the National Commission on Civic Education to carry out its constitutional mandate of educating the public on election related activities especially the biometric registration.

     
It proposed that five percent be deducted from the Internally Generated Funds of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies and used to support the Police in their operations during the elections.

    
The political parties' representatives and religious leaders also resolved to educate their members to desist from inflammatory comments in the media and on political platforms.

     
They said they would educate their members on the electoral laws and ensure that they were duly observed.

 
They also pledged to do everything within their power to reduce electoral fraud such as double registration, ballot box snatching as well as registration of minors to ensure a peaceful election.

    
Party supporters would also be advised to desist from jubilating before the declaration of results.